CONFIRMED: Arsenal make double signing after year-long scouting mission

Robin Bairner

1 Dec 2025 13:59 GMT
3 min read

Mikel Arteta, Arsenal, 2025/26 — © IMAGO

Arsenal are ready to complete a remarkable double signing by following in the footsteps of Chelsea and raiding the market for young players in Ecuador.

Article continues under the video

While the Blues have snapped up Kendry Paez and appear poised to sign Deinner Ordonez from Independiete Del Valle, the Gunners have agreed a double deal in principle from the same club.

Arsenal will sign twins Edwin and Holger Quintero, according to ESPN, which reports that the 16-year-olds are in London to finalise the move, including the signing of their contracts.

The Gunners are not expected to announce the deal imminently, but the transfer will formally take place in August 2027, when the pair turn 18. They will join Victor Ozhianvuna in arriving at the club from Shamrock Rovers at that same time.

In terms of transfer fee, it is unclear what the Premier League leaders will pay at this juncture for the South American pair.

© IMAGO - Mikel Arteta: Building Arsenal for the future

Why the Quintero twins picked Arsenal

Arsenal’s work is the culmination of a long period of scouting. The Gunners are scouring the globe to find the world’s brightest young talent, and ESPN reports that they have been following the Quintero twins for more than a year.

It adds that Edwin Quintero is a right winger who plays with the same style and panache as Neymar, while Holger is an attacking midfielder.

The North London side have beaten “a host of top clubs across Europe” to land the pair, with a crucial factor in the deal Arsenal’s recent impressive record of bringing young players through the academy and into the first team.

Independiete Del Valle, meanwhile, is quickly gaining a reputation for being a hotbed of young talent. Arsenal’s Piero Hincapie hails from the club, while it has also helped to nurture the careers of Moises Caicedo and Willian Pacho, who are at Chelsea and PSG respectively.

The Gunners now hope that the Quintero twins will be the latest stars to graduate from the Ecuadorian side.

The FootballTransfers app

Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.

The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:

•Google Play

•App Store